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19th Century British Exhibit Goes Viral (Photos)

In recent weeks, the Internet has taken an interest in a story about thousands of boxes discovered in a basement under a London orphanage, which are said to contain the bodies of mythical creatures that only exist in fairy tales.

The collection of artifacts features a range of legendary beasts in jars and cases in often gruesome and unnerving poses, according to the Mirror. There are tiny, humanoid-looking skeletons with wings, which sit side by side against contorted, inhuman-looking bodies.

The collection is said to have belonged to Thomas Theodore Merrylin, a "rich aristocrat and biologist in the 1800s." But according to The Earth Child and other outlets, the Merrylin Cryptidcollection is actually a fictional work by artist Alex CF, a fantastically creative spirit who reportedly has an inclination for the obscure.

One feature of CF's artwork is his creation of journals containing "true facts" from the perspective of the fictional Merrylin, which reportedly contain "all sorts of advanced ideas that didn’t exist at the time, such as quantum physics and the multiverse theory." CF claims to be the curator of the collection.

A blog post about the "discovery" of this collection reads:

"In 1960 in London at the time of clearing the site for construction of a new residential neighborhood, the old long-abandoned mansion belonged to Thomas Theodore Merrylin was set for demolition.

"In the basement of the home, builders have discovered several thousand small wooden boxes tightly sealed.

"Imagine their surprise when they began to find inside the bodies of strange mythical creatures, which seemed to have been living only in fairy tales."